Grateful Dead

August 20 - August 26, 2007

As we move toward the symbolic end of summer (Labour Day, of course), we have some great music to play spanning about 21 years of Grateful Dead music, from 1968 to 1989, two fine years with which to bookend this week’s offerings.

Our first entry this week is the encore from 8/21/68 at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, a nice, juicy Midnight Hour. Although not quite as prevalent at shows in 1968 as it had been in 1966, the Grateful Dead continued to play monster versions of this Pigpen vehicle.

Next we’ll stop into 1972, to the opening night of the rightfully famous Europe 72 tour, to 4/7/72 in London. From the middle of that night’s first set is a typically hot 1972 rendition of China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider.

In 1976, at the end of their very successful summer of comeback shows, the Grateful Dead entered the studio and recorded a couple of the songs they’d been playing that summer. From one of those sessions on 8/29/76 is this bare-bones Dancing In The Street with only Donna on vocals. While we’re in mid-1970s mode, we also have this terrific Samson and Delilah from 5/12/77 in Chicago. Despite the frequency that song was played in 1976-1977, they never seem to get tired of it, always offering up an inspired rendition.

Be sure to check in next week, as we’ll be exploring some intriguing material from 1969 and 1980, and other material between those years, and likely after. We try to surprise even ourselves. Feel free to write with questions or comments.

Please note that beginning today all Taper’s Section audio streams are served via a new media player in both Windows Media Audio and QuickTime Audio formats.

divide and conquer -- they are winning!! stay together, remember in this world of troubles, we got to looooovvvve one another ...... if you all are gonna talk about what jerry said or speculate on what jerry thought tell us about what he SANG those were the words he meant .... let there be songs to fill the air not noise like this combative chatter

After the semi-masochistic effort of reading 47 pages of venting, here's my bit:

The two-line explanation at the bottom of this week's Taper's Section notes was evasive at best. It reminded me of the way a bank would announce a fee increase, saying they're doing it so they can "serve you better."

I would like to get more Grateful Dead music from the source. I buy everything that is released. Other download sites are overwhelming and I don't feel right about using them for music I could get from GDP. The TS downloads were great [I find it funny that I didn't figure out how to download until just before the format changed to streaming only] and I took them to be a tantalizing trickle from the vast reservoir of the legendary Vault. Like others, I found they stimulated my interest in Dead music. It's hard to understand why so little music has come out recently; digital music is so simple to distribute (unlike pressing a vinyl disc for example). There is a bottleneck (bureaucratic or otherwise) between the stores of music and the hunger of thousands of voracious listeners; if it were just removed, both sides would benefit. Just let David Lemieux choose the shows to release, and we'll eagerly buy them. I have fantasized for years about a concert-of-the-month subscription. Just tell me where to sign up, and I'm there. A steady stream of revenue has got to have some appeal in establishing a stable business.

There are various ways to approach the Tapers streams. They could go back to downloadable format; downloading could be restored for those files that were available in the past only; downloading could be available for a small charge, or as a bonus with a subscription or purchase; downloading could be limited to recordings wiith flaws, like dropouts, mix problems, missed vocals, or out of tune instruments, that make them less marketable. It doesn't have to be a complete shutoff.

I hope we can hear more of the music before long. Mary E., you're some kind of saint for dealing with us all, and thank you Izzie for telling the children to behave. - DW

The rage and entitlement with regard to this whole MP3 to streaming change is astonishing! People, every iota of music we have from this organization (yes, organization) is a gift. We should be appreciative for what we have, just as we should be when we wake up in the morning...or whenever you wake up. Free stuff is always cool, but come on. If Starbucks gives you a coupon for a free cuppa joe, do you bitch when you go back the next day and you have to shell out 2 bucks for another cup? No. You gladly/begrudgingly dig into your wallet and pay them what they are asking you to. Either that or you leave. Same thing here. Stop complaining and move on.

To that end, much has been said about it already, but it bears repeating; there are plenty of places to get great lossless legs of all sorts out here in Al Gore's internet. He created it for trading Dead shows, you know. I digress...

David Lemieux, thanks a ton for releasing some beautiful sounding nuggets from my first show in this week's Taper's Section. I do appreciate it. I am sincerely grateful. It has brought back a ton a great memories, as much of this music does.

the best things in life.....are not things...go to the baech and pick up the sand holding on tightly......do you have much in your hand?...now pick up sand holding it slightly in your palms...the power of smoothness is demonstrated in the creating of the grand canyon...it was created by water !!!! life happily w/o concern of material objects...when they are gone what then will bring you happiness?

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